NEW TO FORUM - VALIUM BLACK HOLE

I am now down to 2mg of Valium daily - started taper at 12.5mg - been tapering for 5 months. I take morning dose and nighttime divided equally.

 

Today I have not taken morning dose - I want to just start taking dose at bedtime - I feel strange today - how long will it take for my body to adjust to just taking dose once a day.

 

Last night I woke up 4 times - I am still at 2mg - when can I stop taking Valium - I have been tapering 0.5mg every 14-21 days.

 

My sleep is very important to me - how long will it take for my body to recover from 14 months of Valium hell ?

 

Will my sleeping patterns continue to get worse - if I stop taking Valium now - being the case that I am at a very low dose what do I risk - HELP

Hi Zorono,

 

Here is an excerpt from The Ashton Manual explaining the return of sleep after benzo discontinuation....

 

Insomnia, nightmares, sleep disturbance. The sleep engendered by benzodiazepines, though it may seem refreshing at first, is not a normal sleep. Benzodiazepines inhibit both dreaming sleep (rapid eye movement sleep, REMS) and deep sleep (slow wave sleep, SWS). The extra sleep time that benzodiazepines provide is spent mainly in light sleep, termed Stage 2 sleep. REM and SWS are the two most important stages of sleep and are essential to health. Sleep deprivation studies show that any deficit is quickly made up by a rebound to above normal levels as soon as circumstances permit.

 

In regular benzodiazepine users REMS and SWS tend to return to pre-drug levels (because of tolerance) but the initial deficit remains. On withdrawal, even after years of benzodiazepine use, there is a marked rebound increase in REMS which also becomes more intense. As a result, dreams become more vivid, nightmares may occur and cause frequent awakenings during the night. This is a normal reaction to benzodiazepine withdrawal and, though unpleasant, it is a sign that recovery is beginning to take place. When the deficit of REMS is made up, usually after about 4-6 weeks, the nightmares become less frequent and gradually fade away.

 

Return of SWS seems to take longer after withdrawal, probably because anxiety levels are high, the brain is overactive and it is hard to relax completely. Subjects may have difficulty in getting off to sleep and may experience "restless legs syndrome", sudden muscle jerks (myoclonus) just as they are dropping off or be jolted suddenly by a hallucination of a loud bang (hypnagogic hallucination) which wakes them up again. These disturbances may also last for several weeks, sometimes months.

 

However, all these symptoms do settle in time. The need for sleep is so powerful that normal sleep will eventually reassert itself. Meanwhile, attention to sleep hygiene measures including avoiding tea, coffee, other stimulants or alcohol near bedtime, relaxation tapes, anxiety management techniques and physical exercise may be helpful. Taking all or most of the dose of benzodiazepine at night during the reduction period may also help. Occasionally another drug might be indicated (see section on adjuvant drugs, below).

 

Hope this helps.

 

T2

 

 

I am now down to 2mg of Valium daily - started taper at 12.5mg - been tapering for 5 months. I take morning dose and nighttime divided equally.

 

Today I have not taken morning dose - I want to just start taking dose at bedtime - I feel strange today - how long will it take for my body to adjust to just taking dose once a day.

Wish I had a good answer for that one.  We all eventually end up on 1 dose a day just before our last cut. Strange feelings and general weirdness are par for the course from tapering alone, so I don't even know if what you are feeling is related to moving your dose.  As long acting as valium is, I really can't imagine it affecting you so soon.

Last night I woke up 4 times - I am still at 2mg - when can I stop taking Valium - I have been tapering 0.5mg every 14-21 days.

 

My sleep is very important to me - how long will it take for my body to recover from 14 months of Valium hell ?

 

Will my sleeping patterns continue to get worse - if I stop taking Valium now - being the case that I am at a very low dose what do I risk - HELP

It's rare for someone to feel better simply stopping at 2mg. You've been doing a good job tapering, why mess with success?  I recommend sticking to your schedule. You certainly would not risk having a seizure dropping from 2mg but it's likely you would have more intense symptoms after a week or so.  Just an opinion, though.